Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 36.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Papua New Guinea recorded 36.9% for employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and up 25.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea peaked at 38.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 25.8%, in 2010.
That places Papua New Guinea 43rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 28.4% | — |
| 1992 | 27.7% | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 27.0% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 26.9% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 27.3% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 26.7% | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 27.2% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 27.4% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 27.6% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 28.2% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 28.2% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 28.4% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 28.3% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 28.0% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 27.6% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 27.2% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 26.5% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 26.6% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 26.1% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 25.8% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 26.8% | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 27.6% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 28.4% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 28.6% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 29.3% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 30.2% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 31.2% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 32.6% | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 33.4% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 36.0% | +7.7% |
| 2021 | 37.6% | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 38.7% | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 38.1% | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 37.5% | -1.6% |
| 2025 | 36.9% | -1.6% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 36.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.4%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 36.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 23.6%, 1.6× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.4% | 26.7% | 28.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 27.5% | 26.1% | 28.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.4% | 25.8% | 33.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.5% | 36.0% | 38.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More agriculture & rural data for Papua New Guinea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.3264 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1702 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 495.76 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.8422 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 17.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 17.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea was 36.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 38.7% in 2022.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.8% in 2010.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 43rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).